Page 49 of Ride With Me

CHAPTER 5

ANDREW

What was it about Dean that made me want to obey his commands? I hardly knew him, but I trusted him to only make me do things that would benefit me. I felt I could trust him with all my secrets and fears and never worry that he would use them against me. On top of that, I wanted to strip him down and discover what beauty lay beneath those clothes.

Right now, though, I was hiding in a bathroom at a hotel, freaking out because I might end up doing that last part.

Yesterday, we drove through the night, but Dean said we needed to stop and get a decent rest. And the weather had turned dangerous about an hour ago, making staying on the road a horrible idea. The problem was that there weren’t many hotels in the area with vacancies at the moment due to some conferences occurring in the surrounding areas. We checked online for all the hotels within a twenty-five-mile radius and everything was booked except in this one hotel that did have a room for us, but they only had one queen-sized bed. I felt like I had landed in one of those romance novels my mom used to read where the two main characters got stranded in a storm and had to share the last bed available. Fuck, I was in the middle of a romance book that made the likelihood of me stripping Dean naked and riding him even more of a possibility.

Pulling out my phone, I texted Stacy. She would talk some sense into me. It didn’t take long for a response to come back.

Me: Tell me it’s a bad idea to seduce the stranger I’m hitchhiking with.

Stacy: Depends. Is he hot?

Looks like someone left their phone out in front of her boyfriends again .

Me: Dimitri, give Stacy her phone. This is a best friend emergency.

Stacy: Fine. But I say do it. And for what it’s worth, all three guys agree with that statement.

I loved those guys and appreciated that they wanted me to throw all my caution to the wind and jump on the chance to get sexed up. But I needed Stacy to talk me out of this.

Stacy: Sorry about that. They are horny idiots, but they mean well.

Me: It’s okay. I just needed my bestie’s advice.

Stacy: Listen. Kenny did you dirty. There is some merit to getting over the past by jumping on something new. But you just met this guy, have only been together for a few days, and will part ways soon. If you can get some without catching feelings, go for it. But if you think you may get hurt when the trip is over, don’t.

Me: I don’t know. I know I have never felt this attracted to a man. Besides, our connection makes me wish we weren’t just passing acquaintances.

Stacy: I can’t tell you what to do. If it were me, I would probably follow my passion. But I am a girl who has three boyfriends now, so I may not be the person you want advice from anyway.

Me: Or you are precisely whom I should be speaking to because you don’t let fear hold you back from experiencing life

Stacy: Well, you can always take my guys’ advice and strip him naked and ride him all night long. That would be an experience.

Me: Maybe.

Me: I’d better go before he thinks the food at the diner gave me bathroom issues.

Stacy: Love you. Be safe. Or go wild. (wink)

Me: Love you. I’ll text you tomorrow.

Plugging my phone into the outlet in the bathroom, I examined my reflection in the mirror. I looked good tonight. Thanks to the hours of sun on the road, I had a little color on my face. I had been getting more rest as well. I hadn’t realized how stressed I had been until I got away from my job and Kenny. What I thought was the worst day may have been one of the best things that could have happened.

Texting with Stacy helped me a lot. I needed just a little back-and-forth with my best friend to think the situation out. I already felt a connection to him. If we had sex, I might fall in love. So, I had to disregard the guys’ advice and maybe sleep on the floor while he took the bed.

Walking out of the bathroom, I felt confident I could stay platonic with Dean. At least, until I locked eyes with the sexy man lying in the middle of the bed, shirtless and waiting for me.

I’m so fucked.